The Top Ten Backyard Essentials To Rock The Summer With Kids #ItsMyThing

We are two weeks into Summer Break, and my kids are logging most of their time outdoors! Playing in our backyard until after dark is their "thing" all Summer long.  Spending the days outside with friends and family is what Summer is all about!

During the school year, basketball, dance, storytime, chorus, and band are the things that keep us overly busy. Although Dylan, Lexie, Lily and Liam love their activities, it's so nice to let go of our favorite things for a few months, and enjoy the longer, lazier days of Summer.

Before school even lets out for the Summer, we spend a weekend cleaning up our yard, and getting it ready for hours of play. We make sure the fun outdoor toys are easily accessible, we fill our kitchen with lots of snacks, and we stock the fridge with kid-friendly drinks (THESE are our favorite).

Although just playing outside can be fun and encourage kids to be creative, it definitely helps that we have a backyard full of things to keep our kids busy and active! Saying "I'm bored" is not allowed in our home, because there are at least 20 things in our backyard to pass the time!

It was difficult to narrow down our backyard essentials list to just ten items, but with the help of my kids, we came up with the ten things that they love to have in their backyard. In no particular order, we're going to share our top ten backyard must haves!

The Top Ten Backyard Essentials To Rock The Summer With Kids

SLIP AND SLIDE

When I was a child, we put tarps on a hill, and made our own slip and slides! Now they come in convenient little boxes in all shapes and sizes. Once, we wowed our kids with an extra large tarp as a slip and slide, and although it was fun, it's definitely easier to use the ready-made kind with the hose attachment! (Now that's progress!)

SPRINKLER

In my almost 13 years of parenting, we have gone through a lot of sprinklers. It doesn't matter what kind they are...kids just love running through them!

SMALL POOL

Real pools are, by far, much better, but having an inexpensive pool to use in your backyard can provide hours of fun. I try to take the kids swimming once or twice a week, but it's nice to have a small pool that the kids can sit in on the days when we can't go.

Inflatable pools don't usually last long for us, but they get us through a Summer and then we replace them. The truth is, a tiny plastic baby pool that is 10 years old, gets the most use during the Summer! (It's really fun to use for sensory play, too!)

TRAMPOLINE

Some people love them, some people hate them. My family definitely loves them! We have a small enclosed trampoline, and it gets used almost every single day by all four of my kids. They often run out to jump on it after dinner, and they keep jumping until it gets dark!

SWINGSET

If you have a kid, this is pretty much a must have! We bought ours when Dylan and Lexie were really little and it still gets so much use. After nearly 10 years of almost daily use in our backyard, we're going to have to replace it next year. My kids love to swing and slide all day long!

RIDE ON TOYS

Our hand-me-down Power Wheels Barbie Jeep is one of the most used toys in our backyard. Lexie loves to drive it in laps around our house every afternoon, and Lily and Liam often fight over who gets to be her passenger! It's often a very crowded car!

Coming in at a close second to Power Wheels, is the Cozy Coupe. Lily and Liam each have one and they love to zoom them through the yard! (These also have been known to come inside our house on rainy days!)

SANDBOX

Most kids love to dig in sand, so this is a childhood staple! My only suggestion is to get one with a lid, and make sure it gets covered every night. Then again, wet sand can be a lot of fun!

If sand isn't your kids thing, try a construction pit filled with small stones!

PICNIC BLANKET

This one is very random, but my kids LOVE to have picnics in our backyard. A waterproof picnic blanket is a must! (We keep one in our car, too, for all of our picnics at the park!)

PLAYHOUSE

My little kids love hanging out in their playhouse! Dylan and Lexie have moved on to bigger and better things, such as building forts, but the playhouse is still Lily and Liam's favorite place to hang out. They just love having their own small space that they can escape to!

WATER TABLE

We actually have a water table AND a water and sand table in our backyard. Our original water table, which Dylan got almost 12 years ago, is perfect for sensory play.  Liam, however, loves his sand and water table, and I love the attached umbrella that protects his fair skin from the sun!

Honorable Mentions:

• Push Toys (Bubble Mower)
• Basketball Hoop
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Water Balloons and a water balloon refill pump
• Squirt guns
• Balls (all sizes)
• Hula Hoops
• Jump Rope
• Bowling Set
• Bubbles

Spending all that time in our backyard can make my kids REALLY thirsty. Staying hydrated is key! I keep the fridge stocked with kid-friendly drinks, and they always get so excited when they spot Fruit Shoot inside! 

I've mentioned before just how much I love Fruit Shoot, too. The convenient, on the go bottle with the resealable sports cap is far superior to the pouch drinks that constantly get squeezed out. As a mom, I'm thankful for less messes to clean up, and for a drink that I'm not afraid to let my kids take in the car!

Fruit Shoot is a very popular brand in the U.K. and has been for over a century, but is new to the United States. Since I was first introduced to the brand, it has grown in popularity. Before, it was hard to find, but now, more stores in our area are carrying the product. My kids are so happy! Although they have favorite flavors, they loved trying the new Fruit Punch flavor, and gave it two thumbs up (or 8 if you add all those thumbs)!

Do you want to try Fruit Shoot, too? Use THIS STORE LOCATOR to find a retailer near you!

Summer Break JUST began for us and we are thoroughly enjoying it. I know just how quickly time passes, so we are soaking up every single minute of it! If you need us, we'll be hanging out and having fun in our backyard!

What are your favorite things to do in the Summer?

Top Ten Favorite Family Activities

Life for a family of six can be incredibly busy. As our kids get older, their lives get busier. Sometimes it feels like there's no time to breathe, let alone reconnect!

One thing Grant and I firmly believe in is the importance of spending time together as a family. We may not have much extra time, but when we do, we do our best to come together for a family adventure! 

{ONE} Set aside one day each week for Family Movie Night. Grab some snacks and drinks, or even eat an easy dinner together while watching a movie. Rotate through the family each week so each family member gets the chance to choose a movie. When there's a holiday approaching, break out those seasonal favorites!

{TWO} Go for a walk or a hike. Regular exercise is so important and exercising together is much more fun! Teach them those healthy habits while they're young and it will become a lifestyle!

{THREE} Have a picnic at the park. Pack an easy lunch, grab a picnic blanket and head to your local park. Enjoy a meal outdoors and have fun playing! For a fun twist, make it an under-the-stars picnic or in an unusual location like near an airport.

{FOUR} Head to your local zoo or museum or participate in activities at your local library. Have fun exploring, reading and learning together!

{FIVE} Play a game of basketball, kickball, soccer or baseball. Forget the rules and just focus on having fun!

{SIX} Have a family game night. Just like family movie night, make this a regular event and let each family member have a turn choosing the game. Sit around the table with the game and some snacks, and enjoy your time together!

{SEVEN} Get cultural.  See a musical, go to the symphony, watch a ballet or explore an art museum or gallery. Exposing kids to the arts is so important!

{EIGHT} Branch out and try something new.  Be a tourist in a nearby city. Go for a trail ride on horseback. Take in a sporting event that you've never gone to. Volunteer together for a cause. Figure out something that you've never done together as a family and make time to try something new or learn a new skill! You just might discover a new favorite along the way!

{NINE} Gather for a family meal as often as possible and aim for one signature meal each week. For our family, it's Sunday brunch. Sunday is the one day each week that we're all usually home and we love to go all out: hot drinks, juice, eggs, bacon or sausage, toast, pancakes and even cinnamon rolls!

{TEN}  Go out to eat together. If it doesn't happen often, it's an exciting treat. Sometimes it's fun to just focus on being together instead of preparing a meal and worrying about cleaning up!

Right now, Fruit Shoot® and Pizza Hut® are joining together to promote family adventures while giving back! Every time  Fruit Shoot® is bought at Pizza Hut® from Nov 10, 2016 – April 30, 2017, 5 cents per bottle will be donated to First Book. First book is a non profit organization that provides books and other educational resources to educators serving children in need. 

As a family who loves to read and loves to give back, this is the perfect family adventure for us! We took a little break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and headed to Pizza Hut® over the weekend. After weeks of dealing with a chaotic schedule and barely seeing each other, it was so nice to reconnect!

After ordering our favorite pizzas and breadsticks, we added Fruit Shoot® to our order! Although my husband and I got a much needed caffeine fix from soda, I felt much better about giving my kids a delicious juice drink that is made with real sugar (or no added sugar depending on the flavor). There are also no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup in the drinks!

My four kids fell in love with Fruit Shoot® during our last Fruit Shoot® campaign and they were so excited to see it in the cooler at our local Pizza Hut®! Fruit Shoot® is #MadeForAdventures and my family is always up for an adventure!

 

 

It was so great to end our weekend by reconnecting as a family!  We talked about things that happened over the past week and discussed our upcoming adventures. Our waitress, who has been working at that Pizza Hut® since I was a child, was amazing and so friendly, which added to the enjoyment of the evening.

Before long, our favorite pizza was devoured and our drinks were nearly empty. Although we wished the fun could continue, it was evident that our kids were getting tired after a weekend full of adventures!

We headed home with just a few leftovers (I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow) and prepared ourselves for the busy week ahead. A certain toddler just might have hidden his leftover Fruit Shoot® in his crib and he almost got away with it!

We'll be heading back to Pizza Hut® in a few weeks and we'll certainly be purchasing Fruit Shoot® again! Not only do my kids love it, but we'll also be supporting The Literacy Project! 

You, too, can support this incredible cause! Simply visit your local Pizza Hut®, purchase a product from Fruit Shoot® and give the gift of reading to children in need!

Thank you to Fruit Shoot® for sponsoring today's post and encouraging us to take time out of our busy schedule to enjoy a family activity! 

To learn more about Fruit Shoot®, you can visit their website or Facebook page.  To learn more about First Book and The Literacy Project, you can visit them HERE.